Monday, August 31, 2009

Ten Tips For A Healthy Diet

1.) Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. Try to get as much color as possible and be sure to consume those with green, orange and yellow color. Include leafy green vegetables as well. Be sure to consume many of these fresh, not cooked or canned. That way you will be getting more of the essential nutrients and enzymes that promote good health.

3.) Eat less animal meat to cut down on saturated fat. Choose lean cuts of meat, cut off excess fat, take the skin off chicken before eating. Choose low fat dairy products from animals not treated with hormones or antibiotics.

4.) Eat less sugar & sugary foods. The new American Heart Association guidelines are no more than 100 calories or 6 teaspoons for women and 150 calories or 9 teaspoons for men. Sugar is the number one food additive so you must read all your labels. Eliminate sugary beverages, white bread, sweetened baked goods, sugary snacks etc.

5.) Eat more olive oil is contains mono-saturated fats which are good for your heart. Substitute it for butter or margarine.

6.) Eat more nuts. They contain healthy fats like omega 3 fatty acids that are good for your heart and cardiovascular system. They are also a good source of protein to substitute for meat.

7.) Keep portion sizes moderate. Use smaller plates at home so your full plate will actually contain less food. Don't order large sizes of anything and consider splitting a dinner when dining out.

9.) Eliminate high fructose corn syrup. This is one of the leading sources of simple sugars in the diet. Since it's introduction into the food supply obesity and diabetes have become explosive epidemics and threaten the health of millions of people.

10.)Drink more water. Start your day with at least one glass of filtered water (with a little lemon) first thing in the morning when you get up. You will be surprised at how much better you will feel. Consume at least 6-8 glasses of filtered water per day and don't count coffee or tea as part of this total.

15 comments:

Same here. The real problem for me is sticking with all these rules. Bad eating habits are really ingrained in almost all of us because of our culture. It's hard to break a habit but the key is to disassociate pain and associate positive feelings with healthy living.

Thanks Robert. I checked out DynaSplint.org Your doing great things. Do you need a rep in Asheville, NC? This place is loaded with hospitals a rapidly growing population and a growing senior community population.

Yanic. That is a very good suggestion about olive oil. We do get organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. I should have specified that. However, for those with limited budgets, using any olive oil would perhaps be better than margarine.

Hi :) Sorry to post an off topic comment, but I saw on Eco Salon you mentioned a lunar tool on google? I searched for it, but couldn't find any details - do you have any more information and a link about it please?

It's really not necessary to limit saturated fat intake as per recommendation number three. In fact, doing so may cause problems for insulin resistant people. Insulin sensitive individuals may do fine on a restricted fat regimen because their metabolisms can handle significant amounts of carbohydrates without driving up insulin levels. The insulin resistant have to restrict carbohydrate intake to varying degrees to keep blood sugar levels under control.

The saturated fat controversy has been simmering in the background for nearly 50 years. Arguably, the idea that saturated fat is a health hazard has generated more ill health than any other nutritional dogma. Why? Because it has diverted scientific interest and research funds away from fructose and omega-6 vegetable oils, the two major health-destroying ingredients in manufactured foods, bakery products, and confections. You don't have to take my word for it. Just type "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" into a search engine. Also, do a search on "Omega-6 research news."

From Tip number 3 I see you think saturated fat causes clogged arteries. I urge you to Google "DGAC 2010," click on "view comments" at the bottom of the page, and read comment number 681 by Sally Fallon Morell on page 12.

On the American Society for Nutrition website a student blogger named Jovana posted an article entitled "The Milk Debate." She began, "Over the past decade the use of low fat milk has become more prominent than the use of whole milk because there is substantial scientific evidence that consumption of foods high in fat causes weight gain and increases the risk of heart disease and cancer. However, there is some controversy over whether processed low-fat pasteurized milk can meet the needs of developing offspring and whether it should be consumed during pregnancy and development."

A few paragraphs later she noted, "According to a cohort study of 12,829 US children aged 9 to 14 years, weight gain is associated with excess calorie intake and consumption of low fat or skim milk, but is not associated with drinking whole milk products. This finding although surprising is consistent with some animal findings. Pigs fed reduced-fat milk gain weight easily while pigs fed whole milk stay lean. Male rats fed whole milk had significantly lower concentrations of plasma triglycerides, very low-density lipoproteins and apolipoprotein B than rats fed low fat milk. The effects of whole milk on lipid profile and body composition are not well understood, but the process of removing fat from milk may in part be responsible for some of the observed effects.

Milk is an emulsion of butterfat globules and water-based fluid. Butterfat contains unique nutrients that support thyroid function and help the body develop muscle rather than fat. The butterfat properties of whole milk are different from that of low fat or skim milk, which may help to explain the effects of whole milk on body composition.

Several generations of health care experts have been taught that high fat intake causes obesity and that saturated fat clogs arteries. As another student blogger, in the opening paragraph of a post entitled "Obesity: A Mad Horse Without any Bridles" wondered, "Truly, I am neither an obesity researcher nor a public health policy expert. But I do read material on this issue every now and then, and recently, I asked myself, why? United States is blessed with enormous research resources, facilities and funding, but still why can't we address the issue of obesity?"

**My site was not designed to diagnose, cure, or treat any disease. If you are suffering from any medical condition, you should consult a qualified and licensed medical practitioner. This blog was created to raise awareness of health and wellness issues and provide information and bring together resources for improving your life. I hope may be helpful for those who, like me, are in search of natural health.